Nicaragua natural gas hub due to begin operations next June

The startup of commercial operations of what is expected to be Central America’s third LNG to energy project is scheduled for June 2024.

During a New Fortress Energy (NFE) presentation, company management said the 290MW plant at its Puerto Sandino facility in Nicaragua, which includes an LNG terminal, has been completed.

Executives highlighted that permitting and initial construction of the floating storage regasification unit is underway and that the vessel is due to arrive in the Central American nation in the second quarter of next year.

Meanwhile, construction of the pipeline will be completed within four months.

NFE has a 25-year power purchase agreement in place with distributors Distribuidora de Electricidad del Norte and Distribuidora de Electricidad del Sur.

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Central America’s first such project was Costa Norte in Panama that came online in 2018, followed by Energía del Pacífico in El Salvador that entered service in 2022.

A fourth development underway is Gatún in Panama that is penciled in to begin operations next July.

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